March 19, 2007 6:48 PM

Midterms Midterms Midterms

So the second round of midterms is or will be coming up for most of us, either right before spring break or immediately after. To prepare for this, here are a few pieces of two sense I have up my sleeve.
Don't let a mediocre performance on a previous midterm bog you down. If you did well on your first midterm, great! Tackle the next one with the same grace. But if things did not go as well as you'd hoped, try to figure out why: did you not have enough time to study? Was the material too difficult? Was your study environment too distracting? Was the test more difficult or structured much differently than you had anticipated? It's important that you identify "what went wrong" so that you can rectify it. Plan several weeks in advance for studying, seek out some tutoring at the SLC or at office hours, study away from your noisy dorm room at libraries or cafes, and understand the kinds of questions and pointers your professors focus on. Remember that profs love to see improvement, and some may actually give you the benefit of the doubt if your subsequent midterm grades go up.
If you find yourself becoming really stressed over upcoming midterms, try to find a way to "destress." Exercise is an excellent way! You can also hang out with friends and resurrect your inner social being. Again, plan ahead so that you'll have time to balance both schoolwork and fun.
Hope this helps! If you've got anything you want to discuss about midterms or other aspects of college, drop by office hours located in Mulford Hall.